How to Find Money in Your Freezer/Pantry – Join the Challenge

Do you need extra money because of an unexpected bill or unplanned purchase? For many of us, it’s possible to find that money hiding in the freezer and pantry.

I don’t do any kind of bulk shopping, but I still end up with extra food in my freezer and pantry. I tend to pick up the same items from the store each week, whether we need them or not. This is because of poor planning on my part. I know I use frozen chicken, flour, sugar etc., but I can’t remember if I need it or not. Better to buy than run out. Or I buy an item with the intention of using it that week, only to neglect it and lose it in the back of the freezer.

Take the One Week Challenge with Me:

Commit to trying to cook only foods from your pantry or freezer for a week. You will need to buy some fresh dairy and produce, of course, but try to spend as little money as possible on groceries.

By doing this you will:

– Translate the money you’ve already saved (by buying extra food) into cash that you can use for other things.

– Clean out your pantry and fridge, redeeming the lost and forgotten foods from reaching their expiration dates unnoticed.

3 Steps to Start:

1. Leave a comment here and let me know you’ve joined the challenge. Let’s support each other in this.

2. Go on a “Search and Rescue Mission” in your freezer and pantry. Take inventory so you know what you have to work with.

3. Tell others. Nearly everyone can use ideas to save money these days. Tell your friends so they can get in on it too. Let’s support each other in this challenge, sharing recipes and ideas. How much money can we save? Let’s find out!

Tommorrow I will share the contents of my pantry and freezer and show you how I created a menu using those items. I’ll include lots of tips so that you can do the same thing.

Don’t miss a thing in this series – just click the orange “posts” button in the top right corner to subscribe or type your email in the box and the posts will be sent to your inbox.

I’m looking forward to seeing how creative eveyone can get with this. Are you in?

I think this is a great idea! I know I have enough meat in my freezer to make at least 2 weeks worth of dinners just from hitting sales. I just get lazy & grab something quick in the evenings. Our food spending is the best place we can cut back in order to make our budget work. I’m going to go write down the contents of my freezer & fridge now…and make a menu plan. I’ve subscribed to this post. Thanks for the inspiration!

I recently did a version of this….a few nights each week we ate “from the freezer” … the refrigerator freezer is the one where all the odds and ends were…a little of this and a little of that. I made a list of everything in the freezer and how many like: 2 chicken patties… I put the list on the refrigerator and crossed it off as we used it up. It was kind of fun. The list is almost all crossed out now…but more things have went in the freezer. I need to update my list! Sounds like fun!

This is going to be fun! Everything counts, whether you just went to the grocery or you only do dinner on certain days. Last night we ate from the freezer/pantry and had Sausage and Mozzarella Calzones with Homemade Crust. Yum! Eating from the freezer can be good.

I’m in, but we just recently went on vacation and cleaned out our fridge, freezer and pantry as best we could before leaving. I think this challenge is a great idea, though! I know my husband would be so grateful if we had a lower grocery bill. We are going to the grocery tomorrow, so I’m going to get busy making my list!

I’m in…I have been almost all summer! I did some major “freezer cooking” back in May. We’ve restricted ourselves to ONE takeout or eat out meal a month. We’ve done well….except while we were on vacation (but hey, it’s vacation). We’ve replenished staples only (bread, milk, eggs, etc). …I do better if I send my hubby…HE sticks to the list! My only splurge was when I got a deal on bonesless chicken breasts (1.79/lb)

I am in! I actually went through my pantry, fridge, and freezer and found a ton of food for many meals that will easily last two weeks. The best part – I may not have to go grocery shopping for a while. Thanks for the inspiration!

Excellent! I’ve been working and researching freezer meal prep to save time and money. When I tracked our spending habits for a month and found out how much money we were spending on eating out, I was shocked. No wonder we are always broke by the end of the month.
Your site is a a great source for anyone who needs to eat at home more. This past week me and the kids have really had a ball in menu planning, cooking and heating and eating leftovers. Can’t wait for next month. I will definitely use your site for our family and sharing it with everyone I know. Thanks so much for all your hard work!

I’m in! I really need to do this. I spend way more than I need to with my quick trips to the grocery store. I buy loaves of bakery bread to freeze, and then find I have other loaves in there. Same with frozen veggies. Buying in bulk and being stocked is GREAT, but only if you keep track!!!

I am currently unemployed & trying to save $$ on groceries. You CAN eat healthy “on the dole”! Today’s lunch: baked mahi-mahi w/lemon-pepper bread crumbs. Added steamed brussell sprouts, celery sticks & baked Splenda-cinanamon apple w/ low carb butter pecan ice cream. OK, so the celery & apple were not freezer finds. I’ve had the fish packed back awhile & needed to use it, but I wasn’t crazy about its taste/texture–the bread crumbs solved that problem. Tasty! Some times I just have to think up new ways to use things.

Same thing happened w/ some boneless pork loin. Cooked it & didn’t like the way it turned out. Put it in freezer so as not to waste it, but just hated it every time I ate a bit of it (there was alot). One day I was making lasagna & had the bright idea to grind it up in the food processor & add it to the beef in the meat sauce. Absolutely delicious!!

I’m in! though I don’t have too much in there…. I’m pretty obsessed with no waste so I tend to use ever bit of food in the fridge freezer and pantry at the end of the week before I allow myself to buy more groceries. My baking cupboard however is another story…. It’s chocka-block-full

I am willing to participate, I try to make a list of monthly meals anyways and only use whats in the house. I tape up lists on the inside of my cupboards of whats there and cross them off as I use them.

Luckily we now have enough stored food to do this. (Tax returns are a godsend…lol.) Just a couple weeks ago we were pretty devoid of stuff in the freezer. However now that we have staples and bulk meats I can say that I AM IN!!!!!! 🙂

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